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Thursday, 3 November 2016

Dutch State Visit to Australia: day four

Fancy seeing you here...the King and Queen of the Netherlands look loved up at the Sydney Opera House on day four of their State Visit to Australia

(photo NLinAustralia Twitter)

When State Visit Australia got under way, we didn't expect to be saying that the stand out belonged to King Willem-Alexander. But on day four of the Dutch royal tour of Australia, it was his headwear making all the headlines. The day in Sydney turned out to be all about the King of the Netherlands.

They spent much of the day in the shadow of Sydney's best known landmarks. We'd already had the Dutch royals at the Opera House by night as they stood on the steps the evening before after the concert they hosted there to thank their hosts for their hospitality. Throughout day four, those iconic arches took a starring role too.

Some of Sydney's older architecture got a look in as the royal couple headed to the city's university to meet Dutch students learning there and Australians who have taken classes based in the Netherlands. There was also a chance to hear about joint research projects between the two countries.

The royal route then took Willem-Alexander and Maxima to Cockatoo Island in Sydney Harbour which meant plenty more chances for photos featuring the Opera House. The couple made like many royal visitors before them and posed for snaps before hopping on board a ferry to travel to the UNESCO world heritage listed island.

And that's when we got the hat. Willem-Alexander and Maxima attended a conference on innovations in food production and transportation with the King of the Netherlands making a speech. It was interesting stuff - this royal does good speeches - but all eyes were drawn to the cattleman's hat he chose to wear while making it. What's not to like?

The itinerary also included a meeting with the Dutch trade mission for Willem-Alexander, most definitely sans hat, and Maxima beforeday four came to an end. The State Visit to Australia reaches its conclusion on November 4th in Brisbane - the hat situation is yet unknown.